Changing Tides
by efficacious humorosity
Summary: AU, slightly OOC. Two American girls transfer to Hogwarts during their seventh year, and one of them catches Malfoy's eye. What kind of drama will they cause? A collaboration between a friend and me.
1. Meet Draco Malfoy, Then Run

Elizabeth Kingston and Rachel Austen walked down the aisle of the Hogwarts Express, looking for seats

Elizabeth Kingston and Rachel Austen walked down the aisle of the Hogwarts Express, looking for seats. They stopped by a compartment, and peering in, they saw a handsome blonde boy accompanied by a bushy brown-haired girl, a black-haired boy, and a cute redhead. Rachel, being the nosy girls that she was, poked her head into the compartment and said, "hi. This is my friend Elizabeth and I'm Rachel. We're form America, so we're new here. Please tell us there are more seats on this train than the ones we've already passed."

"Sorry, this is the end of the train," the brown-haired girl said. "My name is Hermione Granger. And this is my friend Harry Potter-" she said, indicating the black-haired boy, "-and my other friend is Ron Weasley," she said, gesturing to the redhead.

"Damn," said Rachel.

The four Brits gave her strange looks.

"Oh, just ignore her," Elizabeth said, finally poking her way through into the compartment. She looked at the blonde boy. "And who might you be?" she asked politely.

"Malfoy," he replied. "Draco Malfoy." He took her hand and kissed it.

Rachel nudged Elizabeth, who only grimaced. She had particular attraction to the boy, because, frankly, he seemed arrogant and proud.

"Nice to meet you," she choked out. She glimpsed Hermione turning red from laughter behind Draco, a small grin gracing her pretty face.

"I better get going. My friends will be wondering where I am," Draco said. He left the compartment before anyone could say a word.

Draco swept down the aisle of the train and sat down in a compartment with Crabbe, Goyle, and Pansy. "Well? Did Potter say anything?" Pansy asked. Malfoy only shook his head, and said nothing further on the subject. "What's wrong, Draco?"

"Nothing's _wrong_, per say… while I was in there, two girls came. They've transferred to Hogwarts from America," he told the other three.

"And what did you think of them?" Pansy inquired.

"The first, named Rachel was rather too nosy and flirty for my taste. In addition, the second, named Elizabeth was rather plain. Neither of them poses any romantic interest for me," Malfoy stated firmly.

He was good at bullshitting other people, sometimes even himself.

--Meanwhile—

Rachel and Elizabeth sat down with Harry, Ron, and Hermione. "So what year are you two in?" Harry asked curiously.

"Seven," Rachel replied.

"So are we!" Hermione squealed excitedly, happy to finally have other girls to talk to. She did enjoy her friendships with Ron and Harry, however… there were some things a girl needed to discuss with other _girls_.

"We were best friends at the wizardry and witchcraft school in Washington, D.C. We were happy to be transferred here together," Rachel informed them.

"That boy who was here before… what's he _really_ like?" Elizabeth asked, looking up at the trio.

Hermione grimaced. "He's snotty and arrogant."

"And cruel," Harry added, "don't forget cruel."

Ron felt he had to give his own input and said, "Not to mention downright disgusting."

From this, Elizabeth could grasp no good in his character. However, she loved a charity case.

--Later—

Both the new girls had a private sorting, to minimize the gossip that was sure to spread at the arrival of two transfer students. Both were sorted into Gryffindor. At the diner table, Elizabeth chatted with Harry about Quidditch. Rachel, Hermione, and Ron, meanwhile, had their own conversation concerning classes. "I hope we don't have too many classes in a day," Rachel said, "I really hate being in classrooms. They're so _boring_." Ron nodded in agreement.

"I must say, I'm completely different. I love class!" Hermione told her.

At this, Rachel grinned. "Then you should get along well with Elizabeth. She was the smartest student in our year in D.C.," she said.

"So what are you looking forward to the most about being here?" Harry asked Elizabeth.

"Just being whoever I want to be," she replied. A mischievous grin spread across her face as she added, "And all the cute boys."

"You should have no boy trouble here. You and Rachel are already considered extremely attractive among the male Gryffindors," Harry said, smiling.

Elizabeth, took, cracked a grin. "And how would you know that?"

"It's simple. Most of them seemed to pay more attention to you two than to the food," he said, and they both laughed.

--Meanwhile—

Malfoy, despite what he told his friends, felt a slight attraction to Elizabeth. He noticed the way her brown hair shone in the light and the way her eyes sparkled when she laughed. This is crazy, he told himself, forcing himself to turn back to his plate and stop staring at her. However, he could not ignore the small voice in his head that said, "She _is_ beautiful." As he ate dinner and continued to glimpse at her sparingly, the feeling grew stronger and stronger. Malfoy, being as vain as he was, was angered that he might be falling for someone who was _American_ and a Gryffindor, no less. However, he allowed the feeling to grow, despite his better judgment. Although he was attracted to her, his pride prevented him from admitting it. To him, admitting it would only make it more real, which was the last thing he wanted, at the moment. Besides, it would only be frowned upon. A Slytherin and a Gryffindor? People had always told him that he was proud. Now he realized that it might be his demise. He was too proud to admit that he liked Elizabeth and too proud to give it up just for honor and glory.

--Later—

By some unimaginable stroke of luck, Elizabeth and Rachel were assigned to Hermione's dorm. "This is… rather extravagant," Elizabeth said as they walked into the room for the first time.

"Big word person," Rachel scoffed.

"All we had in D.C. was two twin beds," Elizabeth told Hermione.

"Well, then," Hermione said, placing her hands on her hips proudly, "you've just had an upgrade. So… what did you think of Ron and Harry?"

Rachel and Elizabeth exchanged glances. "They both seem like they'll be great guys to know," Elizabeth said, stating her sentiments perfectly. Rachel, however, hesitated.

"Well, Rachel?" Hermione pressed her.

"Harry seems like a really nice guy. And Ron…" she said, her voice trailing off as she climbed into bed.

Hermione and Elizabeth followed suit, climbing into their own bed. "You like him, don't you?" Elizabeth said, grinning knowingly.

"So? What about you and Draco? He _kissed your hand_," Rachel retorted, sounding like an impish toddler.

"I don't like him!" Elizabeth cried, glaring at her friend.

"Fine," Rachel said. Under her breath, she added, "Do too."

"I heard that," Elizabeth said dryly, lying down and turning over on her side, shutting her eyes lazily.

"Draco and Elizabeth, sitting in a tree…" Rachel sang in a whisper.

"Shut _up_," Elizabeth groaned, throwing at extra pillow in the direction of her friend's bed. Ignoring Rachel's yelp, Elizabeth turned over in bed. There seemed to be something more to Draco than what Harry, Ron, and Hermione had told her. Rachel accepted their attitude of hating him without a second thought, but Elizabeth could not bring herself to do that without basis for it. She was determined to find the whole of his personality before judging him.

--Meanwhile—

"Bloody hell, they're hot!" Seamus said.

"Who, Rachel and Elizabeth?" Ron asked.

"Hell, yeah!" Seamus nodded. Dean heartily agreed with Seamus, and even Neville seemed to like them a lot.

"Could you please stop talking about them like they're objects?" Harry finally asked.

"Why, what's wrong mate?" Seamus asked.

"It's just that they're my friend and hearing them viewed like that is sickening. It's more lust than admiration," he sighed.

Ron nodded. "Honestly. It's disgusting to talk about girls like that, especially ones you know well," Ron said.

"You've known them for _five hours_! How can you possibly know them that well?" Dean cried.

Blushing, Ron muttered, "Well, I feel like I've known Rachel my whole life."

"You hypocrite! You're criticizing us for talking about her when you're obviously attracted to her yourself!" Seamus said, pointing an accusatory finger at Ron.

Harry readily came to Ron's defense. "It's not the same. He likes her for her _personality_, not just for her body," he said. Ron nodded in agreement.

"That," Seamus said smugly, "is what they all say."


	2. Let the Courting Begin!

A/N: Don't own, don't sue

**A/N: Don't own, don't sue. Sorry, I forgot the author's note in the first chapter! Anyway, my friend and I already have the first three chapters written, so they'll be posted quickly. Read and review please! **

Chapter 2

Elizabeth woke early the next morning. She got out of bed as slowly as she possibly could and looked in the mirror. Her hair was an absolute mess and her eyes still looked half-asleep. She went to the bathroom, still yawning, and turned on the cold water in the shower. She jumped in before she could convince herself not to, and the cold water instantly sharpened her senses. Afterwards, she returned to the dormitory to find Hermione up and dressed. However, Rachel was still in bed. Groaning, Elizabeth made her way over to her friend's bed and shook her.

"What?" Rachel snapped, not lifting her face from the pillow.

"Get _up_, Rachel! We have to go to breakfast," Elizabeth told her firmly.

"I'm not hungry, Lizzy," Rachel complained, burying her face deeper into her pillow.

"Don't you want to see Ron?" Elizabeth asked, a knowing grin spreading over her face.

Upon hearing this, Rachel shot out of bed like a rocket. "Okay, I'm up," she said, making Hermione and Elizabeth laugh.

Fifteen minutes later, the three girls entered the Great Hall. Hermione led the way to the Gryffindor table where they quickly located Harry and Ron. "Good morning," Elizabeth said to them cheerfully, taking the seat directly across from Harry.

The boys remained silent, but acknowledged her greeting with tacit nods. "Are they like this all the time?" Rachel asked, indicating the boys' messy hair and clothing.

"Yes, so you better get used to it," Hermione informed them.

"I wasn't complaining," Rachel murmured. They proceeded to eat their breakfast.

"What class do we have first?" Ron asked through a mouthful of food, causing Rachel to blush.

"Potions," Hermione told them, and Harry groaned loudly, letting his head drop to hit the table, rattling all their goblets of pumpkin juice.

"What's wrong with Potions class?" Elizabeth asked, looking at Harry curiously.

"It's not the class, it's the teacher. Professor Snape teaches Potions. He's the head of Slytherin house, so he hates all Gryffindors, Ravenclaws, and Hufflepuffs," Harry replied.

"Don't forget Muggle-borns," Hermione added.

Elizabeth and Rachel nearly choked on their food and glanced at each other worriedly.

"What?" Ron asked, looking back and forth between the two girls.

"We're half-and-half," Rachel said.

"Snape won't be able to stand it if the two you do well," Hermione warned them, her brows knitting together in worry.

"Well, he'll have to. I'm pretty decent at Potions and Elizabeth is bloody brilliant," Rachel said proudly, nodding her head and looking rather like a chicken at the moment.

At that moment, the owls swooped into the Great Hall. Rachel's brown owl did not fly low enough for her to catch it sitting down, so she stood up and got her package. Ron was looking at her with a strange expression on his face and asked, "What are you wearing?"

"These?" Rachel asked, glancing down at her outfit underneath her robes. Ron nodded. "These are just Daisy Dukes and a t-shirt. Why? Are you complaining?"

"No," he replied, blushing a deep red color that rivaled his hair, "not at all. I was just wondering. Er… do you plan to wear that type of clothing everyday?"

"If you want me to," Rachel laughed, resuming her seat. Fifteen minutes later, her laugh was still echoing in Ron's head, reminding him of the beautiful tinkling notes of a bell.

After breakfast, they went down to the dungeons for their Potions class. They took their seats, Elizabeth sitting down at a table with Ron and Rachel while Harry and Hermione sat at the table next to them. Snape swept into the classroom, hooked nose and all. His eyes scanned the room, stopping on Rachel and Elizabeth. "Well, well, well. I see we have two new students. They're from _America_," he snarled, scoffing at the word 'America.' He caught a glimpse of Rachel's outfit. "Miss Austen, what _are_ you wearing under your robes?" he asked incredulously.

Rachel stood up and sighed. "_Must_ I go through this again? Is it illegal for me to wear Daisy Dukes and a t-shirt? Would you rather me take them off?" she said, making a move as if to pull of upper shirt.

Draco laughed across the room, and Ron muttered, "I would."

Elizabeth looked at him with a grin and whispered, "Why don't you say that a little louder?" Ron merely brushed.

A panicked looked spread across Snape's face and said, "No, no, _no_, please keep your clothing _on_, Miss Austen."

"Very well," Rachel said, and resumed her seat in a dignified manner. The rest of the class sniggered.

"Moving on," said Snape, still with a trace of panic, "we will be brewing Amortentia. _None of you will be allowed to take it outside of this classroom_. So don't get any ideas. Being," he said, flicking his wand. Instructions appeared on the chalkboard and the students began to work in silence.

This continued for about half an hour, until Elizabeth noticed Ron taking a small vial and trying to take some from her cauldron. "What do you think you're doing?" she hissed, and Ron blushed. Realization hit Elizabeth like a rock. "You don't need that for Rachel, you know that, don't you?" she said.

"Excuse me, am I interrupting something?" Snape drawled, having snuck up behind them during their one-sided conversation.

"Yes," Rachel muttered on the other side of the table, "my concentration."

"Twenty points from Gryffindor," Snape said sharply.

"Twenty?" Elizabeth protested.

"Each," Snape amended, "for pure idiocy."

"You will _not_ talk to her like that," Rachel snapped, glaring up at Snape.

"Another twenty from Gryffindor," Snape said, and stalked off.

"Next time I'm taking this outside," Rachel muttered murderously under her breath, making Elizabeth giggle.

Draco turned deliberately to look at her. Feeling his gaze, Elizabeth looked up and their eyes met. A jolt electricity seemed to shoot through both of them. For Draco, it made his attraction toward her stronger. For Elizabeth, it merely made her wonder.

--Later—

What do we have next?" Ron asked after Potions class.

"Care of Magical Creatures. You should enjoy that, Rachel, that's your best subject," Elizabeth said, glancing at her schedule.

"With whom?" Harry asked, catching up with Elizabeth and trying to peer at her schedule over her shoulder.

Noticing this, she deliberately turned to the side a bit so that he couldn't see it and, ignoring his groan of frustration, replied, "Slytherin."

When they reached Hagrid's hut, Hagrid was already outside, waiting for his class. "Okay, class," Hagrid said, clapping his hands together excited, "today we will be working wit' love bugs."

"Love bugs?" scoffed Malfoy. Hearing his condescending tone, Elizabeth glared at him. Seeing her glare, Malfoy blushed and hung his head like an admonished puppy.

"Yeah," Hagrid said, "we will be observing their habits during today's class in groups o' six." He proceeded to put Elizabeth, Rachel, Draco, Harry, Ron, and Hermione in a group, causing Harry to groan. "Look, I know you don' like 'im," Hagrid muttered to Harry, "but I don' trust anyone else ter handle 'im."

They got a tank of six love bugs, and each was either violently pink or red. They sat down to record their observations. "Love bugs, huh?" Draco said conversationally to Elizabeth.

Glancing at him, she sighed, "Yeah."

"The term reminds me of some people," he said, choosing his words carefully so as not to offend her.

"Like whom?" she queried, looking at him suspiciously.

"Uh… like Rachel and Ron. It's so obvious that they like each other. I don't know if I'd want that… I think I'd rather be in love secretly. It's more fun," he replied.

Looking into his gray eyes, she said, "Me too. Me too."

--Later—

As they left Care of Magical Creatures, Malfoy jinxed Harry's bag form behind so that it split open. Harry groaned audibly and stopped to collect his books. "You guys go on ahead," he said, when Lizzy, Rachel, Ron, and Hermione stopped to wait for him. "I'll catch up later." They continued on their way, and Malfoy quickly came to the spot where Harry had stooped down to pick up his books.

"Potter," he said curtly.

"What do you want, Malfoy?" Harry snapped.

"You've had a few girlfriends. Share your wisdom," Malfoy said dryly.

"Why should I?" Harry rebutted.

"Unless, of course, the girls had to ask _you_ out because they had more spine," Malfoy said, smirking victoriously.

Harry stopped and sighed. "Fine," he said. "This is all I'll give you. Girls like to be courted." With that said, he stalked off, books in hand.

"Courted. Hmmmm," Draco mused aloud. "I can do that."

Throughout the day, Malfoy concocted plans on how to court Elizabeth, but he saw each one ending in failure. Each was either too sissy or just too _stupid_. He finally settled on finding ways for them to spend more time together. Perhaps if he showed the slightest interest, she would eventually pick up on the clues. She was, after all, quite intelligent. However, he decided on being as obvious as possible without completely blowing his cover. _It would make it much easier on my Lizzy_, he thought. _I mean, Elizabeth_, he correct himself.

She wasn't his.

_Yet_.

--Later—

Malfoy hesitantly approached the Gryffindor table that night at dinner, feeling like a baby bird that was about to try to fly. The question was, would he succeed? He walked as casually as possible to where Elizabeth was seated with her friends. About halfway there, Dean Thomas turned around and stared at Malfoy, as if trying to make him disappear. "What are you looking at, Thomas?" Malfoy snarled. Dean scowled and turned around once more, exchanging confused glances with Seamus and Neville.

After what seemed like ages, Malfoy finally reached Elizabeth. His stomach felt like it was going to regurgitate the food that he had just eaten. Pushing the thought out of his head, he said, "After eating as little as possible of that barely tolerable food the house elves prepared-" this earned him a glare from Hermione, "-I found that I fancied a walk. Elizabeth, would you mind accompanying me?"

She exchanged glances with her friends. "Just go so he'll leave us alone, _please_," Hermione begged in hushed tones.

"Fine, but you owe me," Elizabeth said. Turning to Malfoy, she said, "I'd love to."


	3. Blossoms

A/N: Okay, so this is the last chapter we have already written, so it may be a few days before the next post

**A/N: Okay, so this is the last chapter we have already written, so it may be a few days before the next post. Enjoy! Please review! Remember, we only own Rachel and Elizabeth. Oh, and the insane plot. ******

Chapter 3

Fresh air filled Elizabeth's lungs and the smell of autumn filled her nose. "It's beautiful out here," she said incredulously.

"Yes. I find the grounds can be quite beautiful if you look closely enough," he said grudgingly, keeping his hands in his pockets.

"What is _wrong_ with you? Why can't you just live life happily, Malfoy? Come on! Live a little!" Elizabeth teased, throwing her arms up in the air.

He cocked a grin. "So," he said, "what have the Weasel, Granger, and Potter told you about me?"

"First of all, it's Ron, Hermione, and Harry," she corrected him. "Second of all, you're lucky I'm even talking to you. They hate you."

He nodded. "I expected nothing less. So… why _are_ you talking to me then?"

"I'm the kind of person who believes that people can change," she said, shrugging.

"So you think that I could change in the future?" he said.

"Most definitely," Elizabeth said firmly.

A short pause followed, in which Malfoy gathered his thoughts before speaking again. He said, "I've always wanted to know someone who would give me more credit than what people normally do."

"Like me?" she asked.

"Yeah. Like you…" he said. "So…"

"Let me guess. You want us to spend more time together to get to know each other better," she said, a knowing grin spreading across her face.

"Exactly," he said, relieved that she had caught on so quickly. "So…? What do you think?"

"Sure, I think it's a great idea," she replied.

The rest of the walk was quite uneventful. Elizabeth described her school in America to Malfoy, who listened attentively. As they neared the entrance to the school, Malfoy hesitantly said, "During Potions class on Monday… do you want to sit together?"

"Sure," she said. "That'd be great."

Just when she was about to go inside again, he cried, "Wait!"

She turned to face him and said, "What?"

"Is it okay if I call you 'Lizzy'? I've heard the others call you that…" he said.

She thought hard for a moment. She finally replied (much to Malfoy's relief), "Sure… Draco."

They smiled at each other momentarily, then Elizabeth heard Rachel calling for her and said, "See you tomorrow then."

Malfoy nodded and raised a single hand in farewell. Once she was out of sigh, he leaned against the wall of the castle and allowed himself to sigh happily.

--Later—

Once in the haven of their dormitory, Rachel and Hermione questioned Elizabeth about how horrible her walk with Malfoy had been. "It was actually rather enjoyable. He really just wants someone to give him a chance to change," she told them, her eyes wide with honestly.

"Yeah, right. Now what really happened?" Hermioen snorted.

"I _told_ you. If you don't believe me, it's your problem," Elizabeth said, shrugging.

"Oh my God, she's serious," Rachel said. "I'd recognize that serious expression of hers anywhere."

"I agreed to sit with him during Potions on Monday," Elizabeth said, nodding her head.

"You _cannot_ be serious! Friends with _Malfoy_?!" Hermione exclaimed.

"Oh, but I am," Elizabeth replied quite calmly. She had expected this reaction.

"Fine," Hermione huffed, "no one ever listens to me anyway."

--Saturday—

The next day was Saturday, so they had the whole day to themselves. Rachel was up at seven in the morning, which was highly unusual for her. Lizzy was still dreaming away happily in her four-poster bed when Rachel started singing.

"It's Saturday! It's Saturday! Time to get our party on!" she sang in Lizzy's ear.

"Shut the hell _up_, Rachel, I'm trying to sleep. What unnatural hour is it now?" Lizzy mumbled.

"Seven. Let's go get breakfast!" Rachel said cheerfully.

Hermione was beginning to stir as well. "Why do you want to get up so early?" Hermione grumbled.

"Because! It's Saturday! And besides, we don't want to disappoint the boys, now do we?" Rachel replied.

Lizzy was now sitting up in her bed, although she looked as if she could fall asleep again at nay moment. "In other words, she wants to see Ron," Lizzy explained.

Hermione laughed groggily as Rachel picked up her pillow and flung it at Lizzy, "Don't be grumpy just because the boy _you_ like isn't in the same House. I won't let you ruim my good mood today," Rachel said in a singsong voice.

"Is she _always_ like this?" Hermione asked Lizzy.

Nodding, Lizzy said, "Yeah, pretty much. In America, she would crash after eating a lunch of six Big Macs, proving that girls could be better than boys in almost anything, including eating."

"I know. Why don't we go swimming after breakfast?" Hermione suggested.

"Swimming! That's a great idea!" Rachel sang happily.

"Don't encourage her," Lizzy groaned.

"Damn!" Rachel said. "I forgot that I didn't bring a bathing suit here. Oh, well. I guess I'll just have to swim in my bikini cuts and a sports bra," she said.

A look of horror came upon Hermione's face. "Is she serious?"

Elizabeth nodded and said, "Welcome to my world." Laughing softly, Lizzy said, "Watch this. I'm about to get back at Rachel for waking me up early." Giggling, she levitated Rachel's bra off and sent it soaring.

--Meanwhile—

The boys were chatting in the dormitory when they say the white bra soar into the room. "What the hell is that?" Dean asked softly.

They suddenly heard two people, with distinctly female voices, running into their dorm. Lizzy burst in first, shouting frantically, "Close the door! Close the door!"

Rachel followed a few seconds later, screaming, "Lizzy, I'm going to kill you! I'm going t-" She stopped short, seeing the boys staring at her with a regular bra on and bikini cuts. "So," she said conversationally, "you want to go swimming wit us?"

The boys heartily agreed, causing Lizzy to laugh hysterically. Rachel took the opportunity to grab her bra. "Don't think I'll forget this, 'cause… I won't," she said to Lizzy, attempting to be intimidating.

Lizzy laughed. "Yeah, whatever."

--Later—

Half an hour later, they were down by the lake. Draco was about fifty yards away, leaning against a strong willow three. He was watching Lizzy laugh as Harry dunked her under the water. When she came up, she hit Harry playfully on the arm and they both laughed. He didn't like to admit it, but he was jealous of Potter. He got to spend a lot of time with Lizzy just playing around, which was a luxury Draco didn't enjoy.

Rachel spotted Draco and climbed out of the lake, hading over to him. "Staring at Lizzy, are we?" she said, sitting down next to him.

"Perhaps. Is there a problem?" he asked.

"Let's just get something straight," Rachel said dangerously. "If you hurt her in any way, shape, or form, you'll be having Madam Pomfrey as your roommate for at least a month. Understood?"

"Oh, getting violent, are we?" Draco said.

"Oooh, honey, you better believe it," said Rachel. He merely looked at her, a confused look on his face. "It's a saying in America. I just means, 'Hell, yes,'" she explained.

"Oh," he said, an amused expression on his face.

Dean chose this moment to approach Rachel. "Hey. Could I, um, talk to your for a second?" he asked.

"Sure," she chirped, standing. They walked a short distance away from Draco.

"I was, um, wondering if you would like to go to Hogsmeade with me next weekend?" he asked.

"Um… okay," she said, glancing at Draco, wishing he would go away.

"Great," he said happily, "see you then. He dove back into the lake.

"What was that all about?" I though you liked Weasley," Draco said, when she resumed her seat next to him.

"His name is Ron. And I do. But I don't know if he likes me for me or for my body, like so many do," she replied.

"Conceited, are we?" Draco said, cracking a grin.

"No, but I've been on plenty of dates where all the guy wanted to do was make out," she said. He looked at her, confused, for a second time. "Oh, I mean snog," she corrected herself, "and besides. Ron didn't ask, and Dean did. Asking really does help if you want ot get a date."

"I'm lost," Draco said.

Realization hit Rachel. "Do you realize that we just had a civil conversation?" she asked.

Draco replied, "Yes, but let's keep that between us."

"My pleasure. And why don't we keep the bit about me sending you to Madam Pomfrey just 'between us', too," she added, and he nodded in agreement. She jumped back into the lake an inadvertently splashed Ron in the process.

Draco walked over and sat on the edge of the bank of the lake. Lizzy saw him and swam over. "What's up/" she asked. He raised his eyebrow at her in reply. "That's an American saying. It means 'Hey, how are you?'"

"Oh. I'm fine, then," he said.

Rachel chose that moment to swim up to them and said, "Hey, sorry, to butt in, but, Lizzy, could I talk to you for a minute?"

Lizzy nodded and turned to Draco, saying, "I'll be right back." His steely gray eyes watched her as she and Rachel swam a little away from him to get some privacy. "What is it?"

"Dean just asked me," Rachel told her.

"Wow," Lizzy whistled, her eyebrows raised. "You said 'no', right?"

Rachel grinned sheepishly. "Not exactly."

"What?" Lizzy said incredulously. "But you like Ron!"

"I know. But Dean asked me. Besides, it can't hurt, can it?" she said. Lizzy only looked at her. Throwing her arms up in the air, Rachel cried, "Help me, Lizzy!"

"Okay, okay, I'll help," she finally consented. "As long as you find out if Draco likes me."

"Sure. Love ya," Rachel said as she swam off.

"Yeah, you better," Lizzy muttered under her breath. She swam back to the bank where Draco was sitting. "Sorry about that."

"It's okay," he said, "Girl stuff, right?"

She nodded and said, "So, you going to Hogsmeade with someone next week?" she asked.

He was startled by her initiative, and he didn't know what made him do it, but lied and said, "Um, yes. I'm going with someone… else."

"Oh. Okay. See you around," she said, and swam off, feeling slightly disappointed.

He sighed. Would he ever get this right?

--Meanwhile—

While Lizzy and Draco where chatting, Rachel found the spot where Lizzy had left her clothes in a messy pile. She banished them a remote part of the Forbidden Forest. She then laughed maniacally.

"Uh, Rachel?" said Ron, who had been behind her the whole time she was laughing.

"Oh, Ron. I'm just getting back at Lizzy for levitating my bra. Don' you worry your little red head about it," she said, ruffling his hair before swimming off.

"Why would you want to get back at her?" he muttered. Harry had snuck up on him and heard his last comment.

"Mate," he said, "she kind of embarrassed her."

"Yeah, but-" Ron protested.

Realizing what his friend was thinking, Harry wrinkled his nose, and said, "Oh. Ew. Keep those kinds of thoughts to yourself, mate." He then swam off before Ron could share any more perverted thoughts.

--Later—

Ten minutes later, they were all back in the Great Hall, except for Lizzy, who was searching for her clothes. Rachel headed over to the Slytherin table and located Crabbe and Goyle. "Where's Malfoy?" she asked. Neither responded. Biting her lip in an effort to stifle her laughter, she said, "Okay then. Just tell him-"

A voice behind her cut her off. "Tell me what, Austen?" the voice said. Draco Malfoy was standing behind her.

"Malfoy, just the man I've been looking for. I've just been talking to your lovelye friends here," she said, indicating Crabbe (who hadn't stopped drooling yet) and Goyle (who had not taken his eyes off of Rachel's chest).

Draco sat down next to her and asked, "What did you want to tell me?"

She was about to answer, but Lizzy chose that moment to enter the Great Hall, wearing nothing but her bikini. Rachel noticed how Draco couldn't take his eyes off of Lizzy as she muttered, "Gotta go."

"RACHEL AUSTEN, I AM GOING TO KILL YOU!" Lizzy yelled, shaking some goblets on the tables.

"I was just getting back at you," Rachel pointed out.

"YEAH, BUT WERE YOU REALLY EMBARRASSED?!" Lizzy raged.

"Yes!" Rachel replied angrily.

"OH, REALLY? I THOUGHT YOU RATHER ENJOYED IT!" Lizzy stormed.

Rachel ran up the aisle and ran behind the High Table, hiding behind Dumbledore. "Dumbledore, stop her, please! She's going to kill me!" she pleaded, grabbing his houlders.

Dumbledore had a familiar twinkle in his eye as he said, "Girls will be girls."

Lizzy ran behind the High Table, trying to catch Rachel, but Rachel took off and rand down the middle aisle and into Snape, getting him soaking wet. Lizzy caught up quickly, but stopped short when she saw Snape. "That's a good look for you, Professor," she said.

He snarled. Rachel hid behind him, grabbing his arm, and brandishing it like a sword. "I've to a weapon," she warned Lizzy.

"You're going to need a lot more weapons if you don't ell me where my clothes are, Rachel Asuten!" Lizzy said.

"Okay, but you're not going to be happy," Rachel told her.

"Just tell me!" Lizzy snarled.

"They're in the Forbidden Forest ," she said.

"RACHEL AUSTEN! YOU LITTLE CONNIVING BASTRESS!" she yelled.

"You board!" Rachel screamed.

"Board? What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Lizzy asked in a growl.

"It means you're flat as a board and easy to nail," Rachel told her smugly.

"WHY YOU LITTLE, DESPERAPTE-" Lizzy started.

"DESPERATE? ME? YOU'RE THE ONE WHO LIKES M-" Raychel yelled.

"Okay!" said Dumbledore cheerfully, standing up. "Accio Elizabeth's clothing!"

Her clothes came soaring in, in about the same condition.

"You want to get lunch?" Lizzy asked Rachel good-naturedly.

"Sure," she agreed. They walked to the table arm in arm. The entire Great Hall looked up at Dumbledore, as if expecting an explanation.

Shrugging, he repeated, "Girls will be girls."


End file.
